NBA betting: How did Lakers series odds shift after Game 1 loss to Suns?
The Los Angeles Lakers dropped Game 1 of their first-round series to the Phoenix Suns on Sunday, 99-90. The Suns received big performances from Devin Booker and Deandre Ayton while Lakers stars LeBron James and Anthony Davis could never quite get things going. Davis especially looked off as he finished with just 13 points on 5-of-16 shooting.
The Lakers are the defending NBA champions, but ended up as the No. 7 seed in the Western Conference. Still, the Lakers entered this series as the betting favorite at BetMGM. The Lakers were -150, slight favorites over the Suns, who were listed at +125.
After Phoenix thoroughly outplayed the Lakers in Game 1, those series odds have shifted. But they have not shifted by much. As of Monday, both teams are listed at -110.
The Lakers have been a much more popular pick among bettors, too. Los Angeles has received 59% of the bets and 78% of the money to win the series.
Grizzlies make big move
The biggest upset of the opening weekend of the NBA Playoffs came in the eighth and final game played. The Memphis Grizzlies, the West’s No. 8 seed, upset the top-seeded Utah Jazz 112-109 in Salt Lake City.
The Jazz, who were nine-point favorites for Game 1, had -1400 odds to win the series at BetMGM before it began. They are still the favorite, but those odds have plummeted all the way to -350. The Grizzlies, meanwhile, made a big leap from +800 to +200 after pulling the upset.
The Grizzlies have received more bets (56% of the tickets), but the majority of the money for this particular series (71%) is on the Jazz. And if you’re confident the Jazz can rebound, you may not get a better price than -350 in a No. 1 vs. No. 8 matchup.
By contrast, the East’s 1-8 series has the top-seeded Philadelphia 76ers at -1600 to win the series following their Game 1 win over the Washington Wizards. The Sixers opened up at -1000. The Wizards dropped from +650 to +900.
Nets receive big bet after Game 1 win
The Brooklyn Nets got off to a bit of a slow start in Game 1 vs. the Boston Celtics, but pulled away in the second half to take a 1-0 series lead thanks to a 104-93 victory.
After that win, BetMGM received a $420,000 bet on the Nets at -1500 to beat the Celtics. Should the Nets win the series, the bettor would bring home $28,000.
The Nets opened up as -1100 favorites, but are now up to -3000. The Celtics’ odds moved from +700 to +1300.
Other series odds movement
The Milwaukee Bucks moved from -275 to -400 after beating the Miami Heat in overtime in Game 1 of their series. Miami’s odds moved from +225 to +320.
Despite a Game 1 loss to the Dallas Mavericks, the Los Angeles Clippers are still the favorite to win the series. The Clippers opened at -375, but now have -145 odds. The Mavericks moved from +300 to +120.
The Portland Trail Blazers knocked off the Denver Nuggets on the road and saw their odds for the series move from -120 to -350. Denver’s odds went from +100 to +260.
The Atlanta Hawks went into Madison Square Garden and beat the New York Knicks in Game 1 thanks to some late-game heroics from Trae Young. Following the win, Atlanta’s odds moved from -120 to -275. The Knicks’ odds fell from +100 to +230.
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